Layout design - Driving myself nuts 31/8

Any questions about designing a model railway layout or problems with track work.
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End2end
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Re: Layout design - Driving myself nuts 31/8

Post by End2end »

barney can I direct your attention to something that may have been overlooked as you have insulfrog points?
Insulated rail joiners on the V rails of your points.
I had nothing but short circuits, frustration and a lot of words I cannot type on the forum on my DCC layout with insulfrog points until I added them to my points. :lol:

Have a quick read of this post if you will from Dad-1 advising me on my problem a while back.
https://www.newrailwaymodellers.co.uk/F ... ed#p591991

Once you've settled on your final plan we can take a deeper look into where they would be needed.
Thanks
End2end
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Richard08
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Re: Layout design - Driving myself nuts 31/8

Post by Richard08 »

There's an in-depth look at DCC & Peco Insulfrog points problems here. Interesting comment that European wheels 'shouldn't have a problem due to different wheel profiles' - no idea if that's the case, or if 'European' includes the UK. https://dccwiki.com/PECO_Insulfrog
Bigmet
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Re: Layout design - Driving myself nuts 31/8

Post by Bigmet »

Richard08 wrote:There's an in-depth look at DCC & Peco Insulfrog points problems here. Interesting comment that European wheels 'shouldn't have a problem due to different wheel profiles' - no idea if that's the case, or if 'European' includes the UK.
I'd suggest that article is 'overoptimistic'.
The plastic at the crossing wears far faster than the rail, so what may be true when newly purchased, isn't a permanent condition, particularly if the layout is operated regularly.

'European' must include the UK, but that's not really the issue. It may well be that current production wheels conform to the suggested coning of the tyre; but firstly there is a 'legacy' mountain lurking, so plenty of cylindrical or nearly so tyre profiles 'out there'; and current problems like flangeless wheelsets and traction tyre profiled wheelsets, that are the choice of some OO brands for currently introduced products, which they show no sign of abandoning.

And then there is the horror that is/was Peco's insulating rail joiner. Possibly Peco have upgraded it since I tried it 22 years ago? I promptly decided 'never again, I can do much better'. (The base of the joiner moulding was too thick to fit between the the rail foot and the base of the track moulding, and not by some small margin...)
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Re: Layout design - Driving myself nuts 31/8

Post by Richard08 »

Bigmet wrote:
And then there is the horror that is/was Peco's insulating rail joiner. Possibly Peco have upgraded it since I tried it 22 years ago? I promptly decided 'never again, I can do much better'. (The base of the joiner moulding was too thick to fit between the the rail foot and the base of the track moulding, and not by some small margin...)
Still the same, at least in O (same joiners as OO for bullhead rail). After I'd started laying track I found these little beauties. The existing Peco insulated joiners got cut away (no sharp curves and bags of glued ballast holding the track) and these inserted (cut in half and glued). All track laid since has these for all joints (with added wires for feeds) using them like normal fishplates. Unfortunately I can't remember where I got them from and can't find them again (bit of a crisis there) - Excatoscale do them in OO.
DSC01588.resized.JPG
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Re: Layout design - Driving myself nuts 31/8

Post by Richard08 »

It seems C&L do something similar now, but I'd rather stick with these as they are finely detailed and very robust. Stick with what I know kind of thing.
barney121e
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Re: Layout design - Driving myself nuts 31/8

Post by barney121e »

End2end wrote:barney can I direct your attention to something that may have been overlooked as you have insulfrog points?
Insulated rail joiners on the V rails of your points.
I had nothing but short circuits, frustration and a lot of words I cannot type on the forum on my DCC layout with insulfrog points until I added them to my points. :lol:

Have a quick read of this post if you will from Dad-1 advising me on my problem a while back.
https://www.newrailwaymodellers.co.uk/F ... ed#p591991

Once you've settled on your final plan we can take a deeper look into where they would be needed.
Thanks
End2end
Cheers.

I keep coming back to rule 1. I think the plan i have would work but also have another plan i really like (see below). i know it has 1st radius curves, but nearly all my stock runs on it. And watching trains run world i really enjoy. Would need to be slightly creative with scenery to get the right look. It is definitely not prototypical, but with area i have it is one compromise i have to make.
tripleb.jpg
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End2end
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Re: Layout design - Driving myself nuts 31/8

Post by End2end »

You could actually add a third inner 1st radius loop inside on the previous plan. Giving the scope to watch the trains go by on 3 loops. :idea: :D
Shuffling the sidings around that are within the loops will give you much more scope for train movements than 2 isolated loops, plus keep the upper left and right sidings. Perhaps for on track storage?.
Best of both plans?
Just a thought. :wink:

Also those 2 inner loops on your last post/plan. They are completely isolated. As in a train set fashion.
The only way to change the train running on them is to physically pick it up and place another train on the track.
Do you really want to have handle your rolling stock rather than running the train into a siding and driving another loco out of a siding to change trains?
There's also the degree of boredom which will inevitably set in with such a track arrangement.
My original end to end layout lasted about 10 minutes before I got bored with stopping the train every 15 seconds. :roll:
That's why I had to expand to include loops.
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End2end
Last edited by End2end on Sat Jan 07, 2023 11:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Layout design - Driving myself nuts 31/8

Post by barney121e »

End2end wrote:You could actually add a third inner 1st radius loop inside on the previous plan. Giving the scope to watch the trains go by on 3 loops. :D
Shuffling the sidings around that are within the loops will give you much more scope for train movements than 2 isolated loops, plus keep the upper left and right sidings. Perhaps for on track storage?.
Best of both plans?
Just a thought. :wink:
Thanks
End2end
Would i need to connect the outside track to new inside track?
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End2end
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Re: Layout design - Driving myself nuts 31/8

Post by End2end »

Sorry barney I was replying as you were.
Please read my previous post to this one. I edited it.
Thanks
End2end
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Re: Layout design - Driving myself nuts 31/8

Post by barney121e »

End2end wrote:Sorry barney I was replying as you were.
Please read my previous post to this one. I edited it.
Thanks
End2end
Cheers, will stick with the previous plan, and decide to go dc or dcc
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